Cigar bunch shaper mechanism



Dec.l4, 1937. H. H. WHEELER 2,102,298

CIGAR BUNCH SHAPER MECHANISM Filed March 14, 1936 j a! WJIIA 1/ 25 INVENA TORNEY Patented Dec. 14, 1937 This of the States PATENT, OFFICE fCIGAR BUNCH SHAPER MECHANISM Henry H. Wheeler, Brooklyn, N. Y.,iassignor to International Cigar Machinery Company, a corporation of NewJersey Application March 14,1936, Serial No. 68,800

16 Claims.

invention relates to cigar bunch machines type disclosed in my copendingUnited patent application, Serial Number 21,723

for Cigar bunch shaping machine, filed May 16, 5. 1935, wherein cigarbunches are loaded into pockets in a traveling conveyor and compressedto final form.

' The machine disclosed in the above mentioned application shows meansprovided for seating cigar bunches in the respective pockets prior totrimming their ends, and bunch end trimming means. vanced Aftertrimming, the conveyor is adto a different station where the trimmedcigar is unseated or lifted in its pocket, relocated longitudinallywhile so raised and then reseated. Thereafter, the conveyor is againadvanced to bring loaded pockets to shaping mechanism.

In the operation of the machine above referred to it has been found thatunder certain conditions, cigar bunches may be gummy and stick or adhereto the members which seat them in the conveyor pockets.

drawal Therefore, upon withof these members from the bunches in thepockets, unless means are provided for pre venting such adherence, thesebunches will be drawn out of their pockets, and if not replaced prior toforward movement of the conveyor, may be damaged. While ejector devicesfor ejecting shaped or molded cigar bunches from their molds or pocketsare known, applicant is unaware of any bunch shaping mechanism in whichbunches to be shaped are placed in molds, seated and then stripped fromtheir seating or shaping members while remaining stationary in the mold,by stripping elements carried by said members. It is therefore, anobject of the invention to provide an improved cigar bunch shapingmachine wherein means are provided for preventing adherence of partiallyformed bunches to the members which press them into the convevor pocketsor molds.

It is also an object of this invention to provide seating members for acigar bunch shaping machine with stripping devices for separating par-'tially shaped bunches from the stripper elements as the latter are beingwithdrawn from operative position.

It is a further object of this invention to propositioirdurtng' theseating and shapin'guop'er- It is also a further object tQLproVide'the'atibns.

plungers which seat cigar bunches in their respective molds or pocketswith faces complementary to the shape of the molds so that they have ashaping action upon the bunches as theyare located in the molds. 5

It is also an object of this invention to provide a plurality of seatingmembers, each having associated therewith bunch stripping mechanism, incombination with trimming devices for trim-, ming the ends of bunchesand mechanism for lifting and relocating trimmed bunches in theirrespective pockets prior to theoperation of the last seating membersWith these and other objects not specifically mentioned in view, theinvention consists in certain constructions and. combinations fully setforth and then pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawing in whichlike. characters of referenceindicate the same or like parts:

Fig. l is a partial, sectional end elevation of aturret of a cigar bunchmachine showing the 5 seating plungers for the molds atseating and re- 1locating' stations in combination with stripping means; I

Fig. 2 is va sectional plan view of the. same, taken on line 22 of Fig.1; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional end elevation of a bunchcarrying turret pocket inengagement with a seating plungerequipped with a stripping device. Incarrying this invention into effect there is provided a travelingcarrier provided with a plurality of cigar bunch receiving and carryingpockets or molds adapted to be filled manually with cigar bunches; theends of the pockets are provided with openings through which may projectany uneven ends of the'bunches, means for. seating and shaping eachbunch inits respective pocket, trimming means for removing projecting,end portions of each'bunch, a device for lifting each trimmed bunch fromits pocket, a member operating to move said lifted bunch longitudinallyto relocate it insaid pocket, a second member for reseating and shapingsaid relocated cigar bunch in its pocket and elements carried upon theseating members for stripping the bunch from a seating member if a bunchshould happen to stick to the face of said member. In thevbestconstructions, means are also provided for move ing the stripping meansinto the seating plunger when the latter is in operative position, sothat when the plunger is removedfromseating means holding device forcessaid means into stripping position. r

V The above mentioned means and partsmay be widely varied within'thescope. of the claims for the particular device selected is but one ofmany possible concrete embodiments of the same. The invention,therefore, is not to be restricted to the specific details, of thestructure shown and bunches T are placed by an operator in the molds orpockets which are carried by a turret 6 intermittently rotating about ashaft 1. Aseach; individual pocket 5 with an inserted cigar bunchdescribed." In a bunch making machine of the type shown in the 'abovereferred to application, the cigar T arrives at station A (Fig; 1) aplunger 8 enters said pocket for the purpose of seating said cigarbunchproperly within saidpocket, after- 'of the bunch T, protruding fromslots 9 of pocket 5, are trimmed by means of a pair of knife blades I0(Fig. 1) mountedon a stationary guard flange which. operation plunger 8retreats again. "Said pocket'carrying. the seated cigar bunch, due tothe stp-by-step movement of the turret 6,'then is moved to a trimmingstation B where the ends.

ll ofa guard ring l2. The trimmed cigar. bunch in said pocket is thenadvanced to are-locating station C where the bunch, by'means of a row ofreciprocating lifter pins l3 '(Fig. 2) is lifted partly out of thepocket 5'and a locatingfinger ll contacts'the head end of said bunch andpresses any particle of tobacco extending from. said head end on to thesame and at the same time locates saidbunch as to the proper positionwithin the pocket 5. Lifter pins l3 retreat again and a reciprocatingplunger 8a of similar'construction to plunger 8 then-enters pocket 5'and. presses the properly located bunch firmly intosaid'mold. It.

is to. be noted that plungers 8 and. 8a are provided .with bunchengaging faces which are complementary to the shape of the bunch moldsothat.

- 1 during the seating and resea'tingoperationseach ported by means ofshaft 1.

bunch will actually undergo ashaping as it. is.

located in its. mold of pocket.

Lifter pins Hare-mounted on a supporting bar- I5 attached to anoperating bracket l6 slidably mounted in a stationary guide bracket ll!sup- Bracket. I6 .is equipped with a' cam roller l8 engaging-in a camtrack I!) of a cam 20 rotating about' the shaft. 1 and actuated from themain drive ofv the machine. r

Locating finger I4 is pivoted to the guard flange II and carries aroller 2| which, during inward movement of plunger 811 contacts a camlug 22 extending'froin this plunger 8a,.thereby causing finger Hi tomove into locating position.- A set screw.23,'held by finger l4,contacts the plunger 8a while the latter is in retreated position, andcauses fingerv M to swing out of the way during the bunch liftingoperation described heretofore.

Each plunger 8 and 8a is attached to a pair of operating arms 24slidably supported by means of guide lugs 25 and guard ring I2. Each arm24 carries a cam roller 26 engaging in cam tracks 21 of two similar cams20 and20a (Fig- 2). Each plunger. 8. and Bafis furthermore provided witha stripping device for the purpose of preventing the cigar bunch T fromadhering to said plungers upon the retreat of the latter. Plunger 8a,however, is set inch closer to the bottom of the pocket so that itserves to close the slot 9 by approaching the bottom of the pocket,within less than half the thickness'of the bunch, there by completelyshaping the head of the bunch to produce a fully formed tip or head end.This fully formed tip end is of considerable impor-' tance since itassures more perfect heads and these are produced in the same pocket asthat in which'the bunches are originally loaded, thus eliminatingcomplicated and complex structural details in the device. V r v Thestripping device consists of a pairof' stripper members which in theembodiment shown arepins 28 slidably suppported in corresponding holesof the respective plungers. Pins 28 are mounted on a, plate" 29 alsoslidably supported .by

means of a guide stud 30 held by said plunger.

0n plate 29' is furthermore mounted a pair of guide rods 3| guided incorresponding slots of flanges 32 of plungers 8 and 8a. Each guide stud30'- is equipped with a'tension spring 33 having the tendency of keepingplate 29 in contact with the top surface off its plunger, therebycausing the stripper pins. 28. to, project from the molding surface 34.of the. plunger. When thelatter enters a pocketi, the ends-of guide;rods 3| engage with.

the top surface ofsaid pocket (Fig. 3),. which 1. In a cigar bunchshaping machine, a bunch mold for supporting cigar bunches to be shaped.

a member having an operative] face complementary tothe shape of the moldfor pressing a,

bunch into; said mold, means for moving: saidi ,member to and frompressingposition in, said mold, and. stripping meanscarried by saidmem-- her for stripping said bunch therefrom during the.-

outward movement .of said. member. 7

"2.31m a cigar bunch. shaping machine, a con veyorhaving a. plurality of'molds for supporting cigarbunches to be.- shaped, a device having an.

operative face complementary to the shape 7 of the mold for shapingabunch in said mold, means for moving said. device to and from shapingposi-' tion. in said mold. and stripping. means for stripping saidshaped bunch from said device durin the outward movement of said device.

3. In a. cigar bunch shaping machine, a bunch mold for supportingcigarbunchesto be shaped,

a device having an operative facecomplementary to the shape. of theymold for seating a bunch in.

said'mold, means for. moving said device to and from seating position insaid mold, stripping means-carried by said device for, stripping saidseated bunch therefrom during the outward movement ofsaid device, saidstripping means.

including an element slidably carried by said device andnormallyprojecting fromits operative face to be depressed into saidface byengagement with saidmold before the engagement of said device withthebunch in said mold. I

4. In a cigar bunch shaping machine, a bunch mold for supporting cigarbunchesto be shaped,

a device. having an operative face complementary to the shape of themold for seating a bunch in said mold, means for moving, said device toand;

from seating position in. said mold, stripping means for stripping saidseated bunch therefrom during the outward movement of said device, saidstripping means including a plurality of pins slidably carried in saiddevice and normally projecting from its operative face, and means forretracting said stripping means into said device during movement of thelatter toward the mold.

5. In a cigar bunch shaping machine, a bunch mold for supporting cigarbunches to be shaped, a plunger having an operative face complementaryto the shape of the mold for pressing a bunch into said mold, means formoving said plunger to and from pressing position in said mold, andstripping means carried by said plunger for stripping said seated bunchtherefrom during the outward movement of said device, said strippingmeans comprising a yieldably mounted element normally projecting throughthe operative face of said plunger to be depressed into the same duringinward movement of the plunger whereby it Will resume its normalposition during outward movement of the plunger.

6. A device for use in a cigar bunch shaping machine having molds forsupporting cigar bunches to be shaped, comprising a seating and shapingmember having a seating and shaping face adapted to be moved into andout of operative position with a bunch in said mold, and

stripping means carried by said member for preventing adherence of cigarbunches thereto during outward movement of the member.

7. A seating device for seating bunches in pockets in a cigar bunchshaping machine comprising a seating member provided with a concaveseating face and an opening extending from said face to the top thereof,and a stripper element projectable through said opening and from saidface for stripping seated cigar bunches from said member.

8. A shaping device for a cigar bunch shaping machine, comprising aseating member having a face adapted to seat cigar bunches in pockets inthe machine, and a plurality of stripping pins carried by said memberfor stripping said bunch from said member after seating operations andpreventing outward movement of said bunch.

9. A seating and shaping device for a cigar bunch machine, comprising aseating and shaping plunger, a bar yieldably carried by said plunger forseating a cigar bunch in a mold and partially shaping same, and astripping element carried by said bar and projecting through an openingin said plunger into the operative face thereof for stripping seated andpartially shaped bunches therefrom after completion of said shapingoperations.

10. In a cigar bunch seating device for a cigar bunch shaping machine, aseating plunger having a bunch engaging face, a stud carried by saidplunger, a plate loosely mounted on said stud, a plurality of stripperelements depending from said plate adapted to move through and projectbeyond the operative face of said plunger, a spring located upon saidstud for urging said elements beyond the seating face of said plunger,and a plurality of rods also carried by said plate and projectingthrough said plunger, to move said stripper elements to inoperativeposition during bunch seating operations.

11. In a cigar bunch shaping machine, a bunch pocket for supportingcigar bunches to be shaped, a seating element having a seating face forseating a bunch in said pocket, means for moving said element to andfrom seating position in said pocket, stripping members carried by saidelement and adapted to prevent adherence between seated bunches and saidseating member, and means carried by said seating member for moving saidstripping members to inoperative position during the seating operations.

12. In a cigar bunch shaping machine, an endless member provided with aseries of bunch receiving pockets for reception of partially shapedcigar bunches, a, plurality of bunch seating devices having seatingfaces positioned along said member, means for reciprocating said devicesinto and out of contact with bunches in successive pockets to seat themin said pockets, the last of said seating devices being positionednearer the pockets than the first, whereby a bunch is pushed completelyinto and seated in the pocket, and means for stripping seated bunchesfrom said seating devices.

13. In a cigar bunch shaping machine having a movable turret and aplurality of bunch receiving and supporting molds therein, a bunchseating device for forcing a bunch into a mold, trimmers adjacent theends of the molds for trimming the ends of said bunches, means forlifting the trimmed bunch in the mold, a reseating device, a relocatingmember for relocating said lifted bunch, means carried by said reseatingdevice. for operating said relocating member during inward movement ofsaid device, and means for preventing adherence of reseated bunches tosaid reseating device.

14. In a cigar bunch shaping machine having a movable turret and aplurality of bunch receiving and supporting molds therein, a bunchseating device for forcing a bunch into a mold, trimmers adjacent theends of the molds for trimming the ends of said bunches, means forlifting the trimmed bunch in the mold, a reseating device, a relocatingmember for relocating said lifted bunch, means carried by said reseatmgdevice for operating said relocating member during inward movement ofsaid device, stripping means for preventing adherence of reseatedbunches to said reseating device, and means carried by said reseatingmember for moving said stripping means to inoperative position when saidmember is reseating a bunch in a mold.

15. In a cigar bunch shaping machine having a movable turret and aplurality of bunch receiving and supporting molds therein, a bunchseating device for forcing a bunch into a mold, means carried by saiddevice for stripping said bunch therefrom during its outward movement,trimmers adjacent the ends of the mold for trimming the ends of seatedbunches, means for lifting the trimmed bunch in said mold, a reseatingdevice, a relocating member for relocating said lifted bunch in its moldduring inward movement ofsaid reseating device, and means for movingsaid reseating device into and out of said pocket to reseat therelocated bunch therein.

16. In a cigar bunch machine, the combination with means for trimmingcigar bunches, of a traveling series of bunch shaping pockets adapted tohold bunches, a movable device for locating the trimmed bunch endwise inone of said pockets, a coacting seating element, mechanism for movingsaid element toward said pocket to seat the trimmed and located bunch,and means for stripping said bunch therefrom.

HENRY H. WHEELER.

